I’ve been on a nail kick lately.
From trying out new polishes to digging in with treatments, my nails have been getting the ring around. I’ve said many times that the state of my nails is very un-beauty blogger, but when you have so many polishes to try out, they don’t get the nourishment they need to keep them strong and healthy.
A couple of months ago I received a box from CND, one of the leaders in the nail world (you know Shellac? Well it’s only Shellac if it’s by CND; it’s like Kleenex, it’s the name of the brand, not the product). They sent me some products to help my thin, brittle nails, as well as some polishes from the Vinylux line, their at-home version of a gel manicure.
I’ve tried Vinylux many times before and was never really a fan of it since it’s billed as being weekly polish, however, it lasted maybe three days at the most. It works like any other at-home gel manicure in that you have the polish colour and then a topcoat housed in an opaque bottle. You use the sun essentially to cure the polish.
I thought I would give it another go and chose the shade Be Demure, a baby pink shade that I love sporting in the summer months. I did two thick coats of the polish with a thick coat of the topcoat. For some reason, this time around the polish has lasted about a week on me with no chips (see photo above). Maybe it’s because my nails are in better shape, or maybe I was just applying it too thin the first few times, but I’m impressed with the longevity on these, considering that I’ve never had these results before.
As for treatments, I also received their Rescue RX Daily Keratin Treatment, which is supposed to improved nail condition in one week. Jojoba oil and keratin proteins bonds to the natural nail to strengthen weakened or damaged nails while conditioning. According to their press materials, 80 per cent experienced a decrease in peeling in four weeks, so I’m excited to try this out.
As for cuticles, I also got the SolarOil nail and cuticle conditioner, which contains almond oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E. This stuff penetrates into the nails and cuticles and leaves them conditioned and supple. I finished off my mani with the Cuticle Eraser, which is a blend of alpha-hydroxy acids that micro-exfoliate cuticles and conditions the nail plate and surrounding skin. This stuff is very soft to the touch and absorbs fairly quickly.
Like I said, I haven’t had much luck with CND products in the past, even though they are a spa brand. For some reason though, this time around I’m loving what they are doing for my nails. It may have just been the condition of my nails previously, I don’t know, but it’s been a hit lately.
Have you tried CND products? What were your thoughts?
Please note, I was sent these products from PR. All opinions are my own.
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Okay, let’s talk about health here for a second.
For as long as I can remember, I have always had a battle with my weight. Back when I was younger, I only really ate greasy, trans-fatty foods that were so bad for my health. I was very overweight for my age and I would get constant stomach aches.
Around university time, I decided to change my lifestyle and got a membership to a gym and started to watch what I eat. Because of that I lost around 50 pounds at my smallest weight (around 125 lbs). Although I don’t weigh that much anymore, I’m on a forever kick to keep myself healthy, happy, and in shape.
I’ve changed my diet drastically to cut down on sodium and sugars, and work on adding more proteins and plants to my diet. I teach fitness classes outside of my blog and day job, and even on days I don’t have a class, I enjoy doing some sort of physical activity. I’m kind of addicted to working out since it makes you feel awesome and does wonders for your body.
I try to eat lots of protein-enriched foods, but when I don’t get enough in my daily diet I like to supplement with protein powders or bars. I was recently introduced to Genuine Health’s new protein powder, the fermented Greek yogurt proteins+..
Fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ Is the first and only completed fermented protein made from Greek yogurt and is formulated to provide maximum absorption, strengthen your gut and digestive health. It contains 25 grams of fully fermented protein from clean, grass-fed California dairy, and is hormone and antibiotic-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO.
So why Greek yogurt? Well usually when you take 25 grams of protein from your supplement, you are likely not absorbing a good portion of it. It all comes down to the state of your gut and how effectively the protein can be digested and absorbed into your body. Greek yogurt is known for its high-protein content in general, so as a premium protein source, this protein powder provides nutrients vital to our health and has more than six-times the calcium of whey protein (probably the most common form of protein powder out there). Also, proteins in fermented dairy (such as yogurt) have been found to be more digestible than proteins in unfermented dairy.
The fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ is available in two flavours, vanilla and plain & unsweetened. I have the vanilla one and love adding it to my morning smoothies with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, banana, and either plain Greek yogurt or unsweetened almond milk.
If you’re more of an on-the-go kinda gal, then Genuine Health does offer this product in bars as well. The fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ bar is available in two flavours, Cherry Almond Vanilla and Cinnamon Pecan. They offer 15 grams of protein per bar and are fully enrobed in a decadent vanilla coating. The bars also also gluten-free, soy-free, and non-GMO.
Since it’s summertime and I want you to feel awesome, I’m giving away a tub of the fermented Greek yogurt proteins+ Vanilla powder and a bar in each of the flavours to one lucky reader. Contest is open to Canadian readers over the age of majority in their home province. Enter via the Rafflecopter below. Contest closes on August 5, 2016.
Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If there’s one makeup product that has gotten the most hype over the past year, it’s definitely the Kylie Lip Kits.
Although I haven’t purchased a lipstick in quite some time, and not to mention the fact that I certainly don’t need any more lip products, I finally caved a couple months back and purchased my very own Kylie Lip Kit.
I was on the site ten minutes before the restock, had all my info ready to paste into the field, had another friend on her computer ready to do the same thing. We were lucky in that we got the colours we wanted and about three weeks later our package finally came.
I got the colour Koko K, a dusty baby pink colour named after Khloe Kardashian. Yes, I’m a huge Kardashian fan, however, I bought the product more for the actual hype and the fact that I heard they’re amazing. And after having owned my own lip kit for over a month now, I can completed agree.
The kip comes with a liquid matte lipstick, along with a liner in the same shade. As you’ve probably read already, the lipliners are very creamy and pigmented, so they slide right on your lips. I’ve had difficulty with lip liners in the past in that the colour doesn’t really glide on my lips, but that isn’t the case with these. The real gem though is definitely the liquid lipstick. Not only are these so pigmented, but they dry fast and are set for the rest of the day. They don’t move. You may notice a slight wear on them, but for the most part, I don’t really ever retouch. They stick on so well that at the end of the night I actually have trouble taking them off. I also find that this product makes my lips look bigger. I’ve been getting lip fillers since last Christmas, and depending on the lip product I wear it can be not that noticeable. Not with these, my lips look huge! Needless to say, I’m very impressed with the product, so much so that I would totally order another colour. Yes, I would pay the $14.95 shipping fee again, and the U.S. to Canadian exchange, they’re that good.
I chose to go with the colour Koko K, a dusty pink because I felt that it would be the most wearable for me. I looked up tons of swatches and videos online and I was a little worried that it would be too mauve when I tried it, but it turned out to be the perfect everyday pink colour. I usually go for either nudes or pinks, so this was the perfect balance of the two and suits my skin tone great.
I have seen lots of reviews that compare them to the ColorPop Ultra Matte Lip products, and not only are they a quarter of the price ($6 USD compared to $29 USD), but ColorPop and Kylie Cosmetics are actually both distributed through the same company. I haven’t tried any ColorPop products yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the same formula, or close to it. To be honest, out of any matte liquid lipsticks I own, the Kylie lipsticks are the most similar to the Lime Crime Velveteens. They have that same cupcake-like smell and both set to the same matte finish and feel the same on the lips.
The only thing bad I can think of with these is just after a while they seem to pill, it’s like a heavy feeling on the lips. The Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks are thinner in formula, so they don’t have the tendency to do that, however, the Kat Von D ones definitely do not get the same wear time as the Kylie ones.
Since the lip kits retail for $29 USD each, plus the $14.95 shipping to Canada, I also picked up the So Cute lipgloss to try out as well. So Cute is the lightest of her shades, and although I’m not the biggest lipgloss fan, I really do like this gloss. It’s not sheer, so it gives you a beautiful flush on the lips.
Although I own well over 100 different lip products, I have to say that this one has easily taken the number one spot.
Do you own a Kylie Lip Kit? What are your thoughts?
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